Obama clinches nomination

Written By: - Date published: 1:09 pm, June 4th, 2008 - 44 comments
Categories: us politics - Tags:

Thank God that’s over.

44 comments on “Obama clinches nomination ”

  1. slightlyrighty 1

    OK, I am a right of center leaning person but I for one am extremely heartened by the fact that an African American only one generation removed from a hut in a kenyan village is now vying for the most powerful position in the US.

    That he could not only be a candidate, but a viable candidate with a real chance of securing the top job, speaks of an optimism that is sadly lacking in the world today.

    I don’t know enough about the specifics of the man, but his charisma is self evident.

  2. Byron 2

    slightlyrighty, no need for the ‘but’ Obama is right of center too (see the political compass) maybe you’re comment should read “I am a right of center leaning person so I for one am extremely heartened” 😉 that said, he is (ever so slightly) to the left of Clinton.

  3. higherstandard 3

    Hoorah not a Bush or a Clinton in the Whitehouse

  4. andy 4

    HS

    I second that…..

  5. “I don’t know enough about the specifics of the man, but his charisma is self evident.”

    that people seem to think that’s enough to qualifiy one for the most powerful job in a coutnry is worrying. Key is trying the same thing on here.

    Fortunately, Key is like a hollow bubble in people’s minds. a single prick (“did you know he wanted us to sedn troops to fight in Iraq?” “Did you know he said ‘we would love to see wages drop’?” “did you know he is going to cut spending and increase borrowing to fund tax cuts for the rich?”) and the bubble bursts.

  6. slightlyrighty 6

    Steve, sadly in politics, and particularly in US politics, charisma is a job requirement.

    John Kerry was the most charismatically challenged candiadte the democrats could have feilded, and that gave us 4 more years of Dubya.

  7. Scribe 7

    Byron,

    An interesting site you link to. You could have chosen to link to this site ñ€” http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/ ñ€” which cites a study pointing out that Obama was the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate in 2007.

    Steve (and mark down this time),

    I agree with you (ouch, that hurt). Obama and Key have got to where they are right now based on very little substance. There are five months or so to the respective elections, though, and both will take major hits in that time.

    The good thing for Key is that his party’s WAAAAAAAAAY in front. Obama, though, is virtually neck-and-neck in most polls in a head-to-head with McCain, so the drop-off he experiences will likely see him lose the election.

  8. Byron 8

    Scribe,

    Maybe that says something about the other members of the senate 😉
    Just because his voting record is on the left of others doesn’t make his politics ‘left.’ Left in the US really means “less-right” like the political compass site says “Hillary Clinton is popularly perceived as a leftist in the United States while in any other western democracy her record is that of a mainstream conservative” a similar comment could be made about Obama.

    That said, mainstream politics has moved to the right here as well, just not to the same extent, the political compass did an analysis of NZ political parties last election, The Labour party is, in terms of its actual politics, on the right, it’s only left when compared to National.

  9. BeShakey 9

    I wonder how accurate that is, or perhaps its simply my (mis)perception being close to NZ politics. But looking at this it appears that Labour is roughly equally close to National, the Greens, and the Progressives. I don’t really think the chances of a coalition involving each of those is equally likely (and remember this is for 05 where National was much further right than at present). It does provide an interesting view on the Labour/National/Green and Labour/National/Maori axes.

  10. Macky 10

    I hate it when people compare Obama to Key.

    Key is a lot like George W Bush. Key comes to politics as a hobby. Key has no principles. Key is manufactured. Key is a PR exercise with no substance. Key tells you want you want to hear to get your vote. In short, Key is slippery as a snake in wet grass.

    That is how the US got W twice. Is that what NZ wants?

    I know Obama talks change, but no matter who wins in the US there is change. That is how the system works. W can’t run again – thank god! So, it is not the same situation as here in NZ.

  11. Scribe 11

    BeShakey,

    It does provide an interesting view on the Labour/National/Green and Labour/National/Maori axes.

    Is that more than one axis or more than one axe? 😉

  12. roger nome 12

    Scribe:

    Most polls have Obama with a substantial lead. Fox News gives a 3% advantage to McCain though 🙂

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html#polls

    Still too close to call just yet though. Obama has charisma and the “change” meme on his side, so McCain has to be seen as the under-dog in those regards.

  13. Steve Pierson – with due respect, seeing as this is your blog, and I am a mere guest, WTF does John Key have to do with Barack Obama, and why do you guys feel the need to use any thread to denigrate him?

  14. Nedyah Hsan 14

    Inventory2

    Because Key ‘borrowed’ the “time for change” mantra

  15. roger nome 15

    IV2 – John Key is looking to become PM of NZ without a policy platform. Most thinking people are unsettled by this – though some of them just dislike the Labour Party that they see in the media so much that want any kind of “change”.

    Others are purely ideologically right-wing so invite Key’s secret agenda- i.e. the fact that he hasn’t announced policy gets them even more exited because they suspect it’s so right-wing that it’s dangerous to announce to the public.

    This is why thinking people on the left are scared of John Key

  16. gobsmacked 16

    The difference between Key and Obama is that just to reach this point (in each case, roughly 5 months out from an election) Obama has been through dozens of lengthy televised debates, countless interviews, all kinds of scrutiny, day in, day out, exhausting and exhaustive, at the hands of some of the toughest media in the world, comprising literally thousands of journalists and other interrogators.

    There’s clearly a lot more there than just charisma, or he would have fallen by the wayside long ago.

    On the other hand, to reach this point Key has had to smile a lot, and say “cheese”.

    John Key: Cheese we can believe in.

  17. Nedyah Hsan

    “Time for a change” has been around for a while. Norm Kirk used it to unseat Holyoake’s government in 1972!

  18. Anyway, the point of my post was that this is a thread about Barack Obama. This is a historic day – an American party selecting an African-American to run for the White House. To turn it into yet ANOTHER Standard thread attacking John Key trivialises Obama’s achievement.

  19. Lew 19

    Well, that’s the first part of that bet lost. Way back before the primaries started I picked Clinton to lose to McCain in the eventual election. Looks like I might lose the second part, too, thought I won’t be too sad either way.

    Bringing it back to Key-Obama, I think a lot of the discourse is interesting. Neither have much real policy, both are positioning themselves as The Future – different futures, but there’s not all that much information about HOW different except what party’s lapel pin they wear (and in what country, natch). Yet people seem to be responding differently to them despite this lack of information, and making no allusions to what they do or don’t actually value.

    As far as Obama goes, and why I hold a higher opinion of him than I do of Key: the fact that he’s black matters a lot to me, and gives his `change’ message an amount of credibility that a middle-aged white man with a finance background can’t muster. Also – the man can speak. I lamented when Tony Blair left Number 10 that English-language politics had lost one of its few genuinely great orators. Don’t care much for Blair’s policies, but he could speak, and that matters. Obama is in the same league. Bill Clinton was arguably so. (Churchill still chairs that great debate in the sky).

    L

    Captcha: `during drinks’. If only.

  20. gobsmacked 20

    Lew, I agree with much of your post, but this:

    “Neither have much real policy”

    is only true of Key. It is not true at all for Obama. Check for yourself:

    http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

    There are dozens of sub-headings and details. You could spend the rest of the week reading up on specific policies.

    Then compare with Key’s own website.

  21. Bill 21

    I’d like to believe that Obama as El Presidente would change anything in the US and, by ripple effect, the world. But it will most definitely be business as usual.

    The US is now a corporatist state. EVERYTHING that can be has been or is being outsourced/ privatised..’homeland security’, logistical backup to their armed forces, welfare programmes, prisons, education system…the list goes on.

    Obama could only run with massive underwritings from the corporate sector…same as all the others. He is ‘their’ man. They all are. Forget the fact he is Afro/American. He will do as much positive stuff for them as a section of the population as Margaret Thatcher did for British women in the 80s…sweet F.A.

  22. Scribe 22

    gobsmacked,

    The difference between Key and Obama is that just to reach this point (in each case, roughly 5 months out from an election) Obama has been through dozens of lengthy televised debates, countless interviews, all kinds of scrutiny, day in, day out, exhausting and exhaustive, at the hands of some of the toughest media in the world, comprising literally thousands of journalists and other interrogators.

    The media is undoubtedly in love with Obama, so I think you’re overstating just how much scrutiny he’s come under. Obama did get a tough time in one of the ABC debates, but that’s about it.

    He has been to 57 states, though, (or is it 60?) so he’s obviously campaigning hard 😉

    “Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it.”

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/05/barack-obama-wa.html

    Imagine if Bush said this, how big the coverage would have been. Or McCain; he’d have been portrayed as too old to be president.

  23. Nedyah Hsan 23

    As much as I’d like to say it, Obama will be President, it doesn’t smack of much conviction.

    Regardless of the fact the senate is largely democratic, it’s no indication of having a democratic president. Clinton got in when the senate was fully republican.

    Aside from that, MHO is that Americans are too emotionally retarded to entertain the notion of a black president. They can’t even conceive of bi-racial relationships “You go out with a black man? But you’re white!”, something that’s the norm here.

    All power to Obama though, I just don’t think he’s going to be the victor.
    I find it largely amusing that Ron Paul is still running to be a Presidential candidate. Perhaps he’s bored?

  24. roger nome 24

    IV2

    ” To turn it into yet ANOTHER Standard thread attacking John Key trivialises Obama’s achievement.”

    If you believe that so strongly, why are you attempting to make this thread about John Key?

  25. Scribe 25

    Nedyah,

    Aside from that, MHO is that Americans are too emotionally retarded to entertain the notion of a black president.

    Not sure if it’s emotional retardation that’s holding them back, but it’s pretty clear to me they won’t vote a black man president. Just look at the Democratic primaries; if there’s race-based voting there, and there certainly has been, then the Dems have thrown all their eggs in the wrong basket. It’s no secret Republicans will be even less likely to vote a black man in.

    Given the low ratings of the Bush administration and dissatisfaction with the Iraq war, John Edwards (or Dodd or Biden or Richardson) may well have waltzed into the White House. But the Dems wanted an out-of-the-box candidate (black man or white woman), but that may now backfire on them because they’re not starting with every voter in play.

  26. Lew 26

    gobsmacked: Thanks, you’re right.

    L

  27. Ben R 27

    “Don’t care much for Blair’s policies, but he could speak, and that matters. Obama is in the same league. Bill Clinton was arguably so. (Churchill still chairs that great debate in the sky).”

    Interesting article by Jon Johannsen in the Listener saying he finds Obama’s speeches are generally far too long.

    Will be interesting to see who he choses as VP. Probably John Edwards? Hard to imagine Hillary being VP.

    “Aside from that, MHO is that Americans are too emotionally retarded to entertain the notion of a black president. They can’t even conceive of bi-racial relationships “You go out with a black man? But you’re white!’, something that’s the norm here.”

    Apparently white men dating black women is something of a taboo within the African American community? The prejudice doesn’t just come from one side.

    In terms of race as a factor in the election, it will be interesting to see whether Obama can win over Hispanic voters, who generally supported Hillary. http://www.newsweek.com/id/104725

  28. roger nome 28

    Scribe:

    I think you underestimate the “mood for change” in the US.

    Many people want a shift back to humane liberalism, and are cynical about getting that from an aged, white Republican.

    At this stage Obama’s definitely odds on, though it really depends on whether the corporate media (which ultimately is controlled by only a dozen or so very wealthy individuals) decides to turn on him or not.

  29. Scribe 29

    roger,

    Maybe you’re right about the mood for change. But, as much as the Dems like talking about a “third Bush term”, McCain is vastly different from Dubya. There will be a fair amount of change if McCain gets in, though not necessarily in the areas the American public want.

    Part of the US mood for change is the desire for less partisanship in Washington. The fact is that McCain has been as bipartisan as anyone in recent memory, which is a marked contrast from Obama who talks about reaching across the aisle but whose record shows little, if any, action in that regard.

    McCain also has unRepublican views on things like climate change and immigration and interrogation etc etc, so he’s going to grab a lot of independents and those racist Democrats who won’t vote for a black man.

    McCain is also much more down-to-earth than Obama. Americans have something of a recent history of voting for guys they’d like to have a beer with; I think McCain wins that (small) demographic.

    Regarding the media, I can’t see the big media folks turning on Obama. How great is the first-black-president story? Too good to try to disrupt.

  30. Lew 30

    Ben: I’ve a lot of time for Jon’s work on leadership, (his paper on Orewa is particularly valuable to my research) so I’ll track this article down. Long or not, Obama is an orator.

    Incidentally, there’s a lot of waffle, mostly among people who don’t really know what they’re talking about, on the `presidentialisation’ of NZ politics. Most people take this to mean that the personality of a leader is seen to trump party policy, but in actuality a presidential system is wildly different. I think with two campaigns running mostly in parallel in the US and NZ we’ll have an interesting case study to look at this idea.

    L

  31. Ben R 31

    “Many people want a shift back to humane liberalism, and are cynical about getting that from an aged, white Republican.”

    Right, so Condoleezza Rice would have been ok then? What has McCain’s skin colour got to do with anything? Would you doubt John Edwards’ commitment to humane liberalism on that basis too?

  32. roger nome 32

    Ben R – it’s more a combination of factors than any one of them. Oh and yes, I think Condoleezza Rice(without her “bush connection”) could sell a platform based on humane liberalism better than McCain could.

    Like it or not demographic status has an impact – even if only for the way that the media uses culturally recognisable “frames” to elicit associations between a candidate and certain characteristics supposedly associated with their demographic.

    i.e. “welfare’ portfolios are often handled by women for this reason because they’re seen to have “caring” and “nurturing” qualities etc . Because of the qualities ascribed to them the’re seen to be more “credible” in those roles.

  33. roger nome said “IV2
    “To turn it into yet ANOTHER Standard thread attacking John Key trivialises Obama’s achievement.’

    If you believe that so strongly, why are you attempting to make this thread about John Key?”

    Aw gee – actually rog, I didn’t. Steve P did, about five posts in

    “Steve Pierson
    June 4, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    “I don’t know enough about the specifics of the man, but his charisma is self evident.’

    that people seem to think that’s enough to qualifiy one for the most powerful job in a coutnry is worrying. Key is trying the same thing on here.

    Fortunately, Key is like a hollow bubble in people’s minds. a single prick (‘did you know he wanted us to sedn troops to fight in Iraq?’ “Did you know he said ñ€˜we would love to see wages drop’?’ “did you know he is going to cut spending and increase borrowing to fund tax cuts for the rich?’) and the bubble bursts.”

    So roger nome – just in case you’re too obtuse to notice; the thread is entitled “Obama clinches nomination” – Steve doesn’t mention Obama at all, but twice refers to Key in unflattering terms. I would have thought that after his earlier “gossip” thread about Key “buying” his seat, he had an adequate forum to attack Key. But to me, it simply adds to the perception that The Standard exists soley to denigrate Key. However, as I said in the first contribution to this thread, it’s his blog, and I am a mere guest!

  34. Quoth the Raven 34

    Thanks for the link Gobsmacked. Glancing at his policies I see he is more right wing than I thought (It would be nice if we could get this much information from John Key). Looks like all America is getting is a change of face. Not that I ever expected there to be real change in America.

  35. So its Obama versus old man McCain.

    I’m afraid Faux News is going to crucify Obama, every person from his church will be interviewed saying wacky things.

  36. Pascal's bookie 36

    Scribe, McCain has a reputation for being a mavericky bipartisan that his record doesn’t live up to. On his signature claims in this regard he has backtracked in order to get the nomination.

    He voted to allow the CIA to use torture, the bill passed anyway but Bush vetoed it. On gay rights and other social issues he has gone from calling the hard right ‘agents of intolerance’ to courting their votes and endorsments. On “Executive authority” he has gone from saying that the President must obey all laws passed by congress regardless of circumstances, to of course the President can ask telecom. companies to spy on US citizens without warrants and of course they should comply. He has gone from saying that Bush’s tax cuts were reckless, to saying he will not only extend them, but massively increase them. He is BushIII in any way that matters.

    Obama has shown that he can work accross the aisle in many places. The senate in the last few years has not been conducive to this because the GOP has been the party of NO. They have fillibusted and held up more legislation in the last two years than any other congressional minority has managed to do in four. So it’s pretty rich to blame Obama for this.

    Back in his state career many Republicans speak well of him. He managed to pass a law requiring video taping of confessions and interrogations for suspects in death penalty cases. This law was needed because some convicted guys were getting off on appeal due to police brutality and suspect confessions.

    Initially he was opposed by the police (who didn’t like being tarred with the nasty stuff), the republicans (who find it hard to look soft with regard to the death penalty), and the democrats (who are scared of the republicans calling them soft on crime). Obama worked the aisle, got the support of the police and the bill passed unanimously. He won everyone over. If you havn’t heard of this it’s because the press loves Obama and really wants to tell his story. But only if it involves him bowling. On account of Obama being such an elitist and all.

    You claim that Obama gets a free ride from the press, noting the state number gaffe. Really? How about the fact that McCain, when speaking on Iraq which is supposed to be his area of super duper knowledge, he can’t get the basics right. Like how many troops were there before the surge. Or who is allied to Iran. Or who the shiites are. Or the strength of AQ in Iraq. Or whether or not Petraeus can drive around without security. How often do these “gaffes” get mentioned in comparison to Obama’s preacher? Which issue more important to Americans according to the polls?

    I think McCain has had the free ride, and that once the nomination gets settled he won’t be able to hide. Obama seems eager to go after him in a way no Democrat candidate has done for a while. McCains speech today was purely defensive, trying to say “I’m not Bush, honest”.

    Good luck with that John, Bush is going to be speaking at your convention and he still has 28 percent support. It’s pathetic but McCain absolutley needs those 28 percenters.

  37. lprent 37

    Brett: I’m afraid I think that Fox news is probably the classic bottom feeder news service. Their ‘news service’ looks far more like an entertainment channel than anything real.

    But I thought people might be amused by this link I ran across while hunting other material.

    Poll: 2004 Election Was Stolen (‘Cept Fox Viewers)

    Typical online poll.

  38. Hey Lynn, wonderful. The left hand side is an almost perfect profile of my own viewing of those US channels that are available here. No wonder I believe the 2004 election was stolen.
    [Captcha: reality sloppy… now I’m starting to believe in the captcha monkey]

  39. Aside from that, MHO is that Americans are too emotionally retarded to entertain the notion of a black president.

    How ridiculous to direct that comment toward Americans in general! As a New Englander, I’ve not met a single person who would vote for McCain! The Northern U.S. is all for Obama! I realize that my country gets a bad rap due to our current politics, but most of us up here believe the past two elections to be entirely corrupt.

  40. Pascal's bookie 40

    Jillian. Agreed.

    In general saying “Americans are like this” is like saying “Europeans are like that”. It’s silly more than anything.

    It’s tempting for those of us on the fringes of the empire to generalise the attitudes of America’s government to her citizens, or to imagine that the stereotype of one region applies across the whole nation.

    It seems to me, looking from afar, that the stereotype often used is the same one that some US politicians use to describe the ‘real American’. That’s unhelpful.

  41. r0b 41

    , but most of us up here believe the past two elections to be entirely corrupt.

    Jillian, I happen to agree. What is being done to make sure that the next one will be better?

  42. higherstandard 42

    Perhaps they should have an EFA in the US r0b ?

  43. Perharps the company making the polling machines shouldnt be dontating money to one of the parties? or at least open up thier software for inspection…

  44. Uroskin 44

    Obama speech to AIPAC: “F*** all change!”

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    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    3 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    3 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    4 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to 
.  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  ‱ This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    5 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    5 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    6 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    6 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    7 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    7 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    1 week ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te PĆ«kenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te PĆ«kenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te PĆ«kenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in NoumĂ©a, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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